What's Your Story?
Our PCCA Story (Part One)
Submitted by Marissa Henley, PCCA Mom
I love hearing about how other families decided on Providence. And I’m thankful for the ways God used PCCA in my life before any of my children even set foot in the door.
We moved back to Northwest Arkansas in 2007 after growing up here and living out-of-state since college. During one my visits before moving back, I saw an ad for PCCA in the Kid’s Directory. The phrase “Christian classical school” caught my eye, since many of our friends were involved in a Christian classical school where we lived then. I immediately went to the Providence website, where I read about the university model. My heart sank. At that time, my kids were three and one years old, and to be honest, I was really looking forward to having them in school full-time. I couldn’t wait to be one of those giddy moms giving the other moms high-fives on the first day of kindergarten. (Side note: Yes, I was one of those kindergarten moms lingering in the doorway and choking back tears last August.)
Once we moved here, I kept hearing more and more about Providence. I started to think, “I’m afraid God is really going to make to do this Providence thing!” We attended the information session when my oldest son was 4. Everything sounded wonderful, but I could not let go of my dream of five days of freedom and time to myself when my kids started school. I very reluctantly started praying that God would change my heart if He wanted us at PCCA.
A year and a half before our oldest son would start kindergarten, I was in turmoil. I knew what God wanted us to do. I knew He was calling us to Providence. But I really didn’t want to do it. One evening, I sat my husband down for a little chat. It went something like this: “I don’t know how those moms do it. They must be more godly than I am. But I need my kids in school every day. I can’t teach them at home. I just can’t (won’t) do it.” The next morning, I went to Bible Study Fellowship. During our discussion time, I squirmed in my seat as we talked about the rich young ruler who wouldn’t give up his wealth to follow Christ. Then I got to our large group lecture, and the first words out of the teaching leader’s mouth were, “God will not tolerate selfishness. He will call you to give up yourself . . .” I’m sure there was more to that sentence, but I can’t remember. That was all it took for me to realize that God intended that message for me and for our school decision. I went home and told my husband that I was ready to obey God and do what I knew was best for our family.
I’m not saying that moms of kids who attend school five days a week are selfish. But in our case, I knew exactly what God wanted us to do. I knew this was best for our family. And I’m happy to say that when I walked my son into kindergarten this fall and started our homeschool the next day, it was with great joy and excitement. In the year and a half since that morning at Bible study, God has changed my heart as I submitted in obedience to Him. Last summer I realized that I was very thankful for the continued time Christopher would spend at home during the school year. I’ve been surprised to find that I truly love teaching my son at home. God has given me an amazing support group of friends whose children attend PCCA and blessed me with growing friendships with those I have met since joining the Providence family. I can honestly say I can’t imagine being anywhere else. It turns out that blessing does follow obedience (see Deuteronomy 28). And being where God wants you is the absolute best place to be.
I love hearing about how other families decided on Providence. And I’m thankful for the ways God used PCCA in my life before any of my children even set foot in the door.
We moved back to Northwest Arkansas in 2007 after growing up here and living out-of-state since college. During one my visits before moving back, I saw an ad for PCCA in the Kid’s Directory. The phrase “Christian classical school” caught my eye, since many of our friends were involved in a Christian classical school where we lived then. I immediately went to the Providence website, where I read about the university model. My heart sank. At that time, my kids were three and one years old, and to be honest, I was really looking forward to having them in school full-time. I couldn’t wait to be one of those giddy moms giving the other moms high-fives on the first day of kindergarten. (Side note: Yes, I was one of those kindergarten moms lingering in the doorway and choking back tears last August.)
Once we moved here, I kept hearing more and more about Providence. I started to think, “I’m afraid God is really going to make to do this Providence thing!” We attended the information session when my oldest son was 4. Everything sounded wonderful, but I could not let go of my dream of five days of freedom and time to myself when my kids started school. I very reluctantly started praying that God would change my heart if He wanted us at PCCA.
A year and a half before our oldest son would start kindergarten, I was in turmoil. I knew what God wanted us to do. I knew He was calling us to Providence. But I really didn’t want to do it. One evening, I sat my husband down for a little chat. It went something like this: “I don’t know how those moms do it. They must be more godly than I am. But I need my kids in school every day. I can’t teach them at home. I just can’t (won’t) do it.” The next morning, I went to Bible Study Fellowship. During our discussion time, I squirmed in my seat as we talked about the rich young ruler who wouldn’t give up his wealth to follow Christ. Then I got to our large group lecture, and the first words out of the teaching leader’s mouth were, “God will not tolerate selfishness. He will call you to give up yourself . . .” I’m sure there was more to that sentence, but I can’t remember. That was all it took for me to realize that God intended that message for me and for our school decision. I went home and told my husband that I was ready to obey God and do what I knew was best for our family.
I’m not saying that moms of kids who attend school five days a week are selfish. But in our case, I knew exactly what God wanted us to do. I knew this was best for our family. And I’m happy to say that when I walked my son into kindergarten this fall and started our homeschool the next day, it was with great joy and excitement. In the year and a half since that morning at Bible study, God has changed my heart as I submitted in obedience to Him. Last summer I realized that I was very thankful for the continued time Christopher would spend at home during the school year. I’ve been surprised to find that I truly love teaching my son at home. God has given me an amazing support group of friends whose children attend PCCA and blessed me with growing friendships with those I have met since joining the Providence family. I can honestly say I can’t imagine being anywhere else. It turns out that blessing does follow obedience (see Deuteronomy 28). And being where God wants you is the absolute best place to be.
Thanks for sharing Marissa. I, too, love hearing each family's journey to Providence. So thrilled that God is blessing your obedience. We are so glad to have you as part of the PCCA family!